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Five Liz Cambage trade ideas, from the High Post Hoops staff

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 13: Liz Cambage signs autographs for young supporters after the round one WNBL match between the Melbourne Boomers and the Bendigo Spirit at the State Basketball Centre on October 13, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 13: Liz Cambage signs autographs for young supporters after the round one WNBL match between the Melbourne Boomers and the Bendigo Spirit at the State Basketball Centre on October 13, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON D.C – SEPTEMBER 12: Jewell Loyd #24 of the Seattle Storm poses with the 2018 WNBA Championship trophy after defeating the Washington Mystics in Game Three of the 2018 WNBA Finals on September 12, 2018 at George Mason University in Washington D.C. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON D.C – SEPTEMBER 12: Jewell Loyd #24 of the Seattle Storm poses with the 2018 WNBA Championship trophy after defeating the Washington Mystics in Game Three of the 2018 WNBA Finals on September 12, 2018 at George Mason University in Washington D.C. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Seattle Storm trade Jewell Loyd and Natasha Howard for Liz Cambage

By Jenn Hatfield

One of last season’s biggest storylines was the dominance of the Seattle Storm behind their “Big Three” of Sue Bird, Jewell Loyd, and Breanna Stewart. Much was made of the three players’ decision to train together in the offseason rather than play overseas, and the resulting chemistry was undeniable. But for Seattle CEO and GM Alisha Valavanis, it could be worth breaking up the trio to bring in Cambage, who finished second to Stewart in the MVP race last season.

Dallas would likely love to do a one-for-one swap of Cambage and Stewart, but that’s almost certainly not happening. Bird is 38 years old, so despite all of her elite skills, she is unlikely to be included in a trade for the 27-year-old Cambage—plus, the Wings already have an All-Star point guard in Skylar Diggins-Smith (though she will miss at least the start of the 2019 season while on maternity leave). So the most realistic scenario involves Jewell Loyd, the 25-year-old shooting guard who has averaged better than 15 points and 3 assists per game over her four-year WNBA career. In the short term, Loyd could help make up for Diggins-Smith’s absence, and in the long term, they could terrorize defenses as the Wings’ starting backcourt. The Storm could then sign one of several available shooting guards in free agency, draft one to pair with backup point guard Jordin Canada as the backcourt of the future, or even experiment with starting Canada alongside Bird.

Seattle would likely need to add in another player to make this deal work, and Natasha Howard seems like a natural fit. Last year’s Most Improved Player averaged better than 13 points and 6 rebounds per game and could pair with Azurá Stevens in an ultra-athletic Wings frontcourt. She would also make up for some of the physicality and toughness that Cambage provides.

Howard was an important piece for Seattle last year, but the opportunity to slot Cambage in next to Stewart in the Storm frontcourt (and maybe even dunk a few alley-oops from Bird) is too good to pass up.

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